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Re: Inappropriate Posts



On Wed, 12 Jan 2000 Clxthomas@aol.com wrote:
> 
> A few weeks ago some posts dealing with the hazard of wind generators to 
> California Condors in the Southwest were determined to be inappropriate for 
> Carolina Birds -- because, as I understood it, they were not Carolina 
> related.  I therefore question the appropriateness of lengthy posts about 
> birding forays outside of the Carolinas. 

Charlie and other carolinabirders:

This is the second complaint I have received related to my post about 
birding in Guadeloupe. The other was forwarded to me anonymously by Will, 
who attributed it to "one of our state's most respected birders". Out of 
respect for Will and the birding community of the Carolinas in general, I 
hereby apologize for the post and promise to avoid posting birding 
reports from outside of the Carolinas except for the occasional chaseable 
rarity within driving distance, or for migration reports which provide 
context for sightings within the Carolinas.

For the many of you who have e-mailed me privately or talked to me in 
person to tell me how much you enjoy my posts (including a couple of 
birders just as respected as the one or two who object to them), I thank 
you profusely. However, I urge you, PLEASE don't use this issue to start 
an on-line debate on what is or is not appropriate to post here. First of 
all, Will runs this list, and does all the work, so what he says goes; he 
has not set down any hard rules on what I may or may not post, only asked 
that I exercise more editorial restraint on myself.

Secondly, and more importantly, the function of this listserv is the 
exchange of information among birders. Anyone who has a question - and I 
ask as many as anyone here - can post it and expect one or more answers 
from experienced birders. However, if the listserv gets too overwhelmed 
with "uninteresting" content -  whether it be non-Carolina-related posts 
like my Guadeloupe trip, non-bird related posts, or posts about birds 
that are not particularly noteworthy (i.e. about which common resident 
yard birds are coming to each person's feeders) - we risk driving more 
experienced birders who are bored or annoyed by such posts off the list. 
And if these experienced birders leave the listserv, then Carolinabirds 
loses what makes it special, and it becomes just another internet chat 
space. If you don't believe that this could actually happen, ask birders 
from Texas; many of the top birders of that state have been driven off 
the listserv TEXBIRDS by trivial or innappropriate posts and flame-wars, 
and the list's content has suffered as a result.

Don't let it happen here!

Good birding,

Josh



Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Zoology

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/